Trance

Being in the thrall of a narcissistic relationship is like being in a trance,

You appear to be functioning fine but most times you are on autopilot trapped on a never-ending hamster wheel without the fun.

Waking up from the trance takes time and it appears to happen in stages. Just as a person who is awakening from a coma, might suddenly move their eyes, a person involved with a narcissist might unexpectedly show signs of their pre-narcissistically abused self emerging. This can send the toxic person into overdrive-trying to put their victim back under.(just as a spider subdues its wriggling prey with yet more silken thread).

Toxic people can have an amazing knowledge of both how to induce and how to maintain this trance-like state in their victims. It is interesting to contemplate how such skills initially surface and the extent to which toxic people know exactly what they are doing.

Trying to set boundaries with a narcissist is a pretty fruitless exercise yet they seem to understand very well how to set boundaries with their victims. Wrapped in a golden thread and held fast,injected with toxin, subdued by a cocktail of confusion, fear and the occasional snatched mouthful of something sweet, victims are confined to the web of the narcissist, ready for their tormentors next feast.

For further information on World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day click here